Iran election - will young Iranians take part in crucial vote?

now here in Iran the regime's popularity will be put to the test tomorrow in the first election since the mass protest sparked by the death of Masa amini in police custody it's been imploring people here to come out and make their voices heard by voting amid concern of a record low turnout but the mass disqualification of moderate candidates and the Crackdown on descent has left many feeling their voices won't be heard especially young Iranians who spend every day navigating restrictions in imposed by their own government as well as International sanctions a shared workplace in Cafe for young Iranians who all work in Tech on First Sight it could be anywhere but people here have very Iranian problems s works for a Canadian tech company and comes here every day I'm part of my every effort is to find my way through all the different sanctions Passa designs websites dodging restrictions from both International sanctions and Iranian sensors it's restricted can we use tiil track to make nuclear bomb and Zab is in a team who used the space to write scripts for social media influencers how does this fit with the rules on hijab and all of that um she's not in Europe she's not here yes so she can do what she wants it's more like home than the office here and everyone knows each other well but the cafe has been shut down before by the authorities for allowing women who don't cover their heads do people here avoid talking about politics yeah it's a crime you know many people won't say here but at least two of them that you saw in the last maybe couple hours been into prison really in the last year yeah so what does that mean for you talking to each other does that restrict the way you talk to each other no no we trust each other and it's okay and until you say them publicly you speak them publicly it's okay talking among us but uh speaking publicly about some stuff it can be really dangerous so you wouldn't want me to ask you what your view is no you can ask but I won't answer yeah do you feel free next question no I don't feel free and I like to be free especially about the little things I don't like to be frightened from everyday actions and getting them abused because sometimes you are living a clean life but someone with the power or someone with the relation to someone who has the power can threaten you I'm very proud proud of my nationality and I'm very proud of my country but not the government we all know about the government uh but we are trying to make our country better you have the you have some problems with our government it's true but these restriction is killing our people but not the government do you mean the financial sanctions yeah Financial I mean that's always the argument around Financial sanctions that you know you hurt the Ordinary People rather than the government in in technology or in everything with with these restrictions you're playing in their ground yeah you're the bad guy here not the government have many of your friends left Iran yeah the top of them are left where do they go Italia Canada un united states England is actually too expensive for us right is it easy to be optimistic about the future it's easy how actually not obviously not it's too goddamn hard it's too goddamn hard we are fighting day by day when you come here do you cover your head or when you travel or no actually um we fight and yes let I fight and um we fight for our lives actually and um I don't wear her job when I uh go as for my home and um it's my choice actually um after uh what happens next um last year yes in Iran um um I choose okay I I don't want wear her job here anymore and um I don't wear her job actually I wear just in University because I have to why is it important for you I mean lots of people died last year just um not because of this um because of their uh opinion and uh what their wants and uh um the least work that I can do is okay I don't want wear her job anymore that's the least work I can do do you get shouted at yes what do they say um some of them are like okay just put put your hijob Mr I'm like okay I don't I don't want to listen to you and I go my way and um I mean I act like okay I don't listen I can listen you I can hear you um but uh some of them are like following me and forc me okay if you don't fair hijob I will arrest you right now and that time I'm like okay I then I you're very brave thank you what I don't think so do you think things will change I hope so well I'm joined Now by sadak zibakalam an outspoken academic and author here in Iran who has been imprisoned in the past for speaking out against the Iranian regime and also regular on Channel 4 News when we managed to get into this country so we've just spoken to a lot of people since being here who are not happy with the way things are is the regime in trouble um on the face of it many Iranian would tell you that the regime is in trouble because they are very much in disagreement with the regime in other words they wish the regime to be in trouble therefore they they they answer to you that yes it is in trouble but in reality it isn't it isn't it has the command of the Armed Forces of the security operators and it has at least at least 20% of the Iranian population which means that it's about 20 million Iranian are behind the regime and so even if the election has a terrible turnout ex tomorrow it's not going to make a substantial difference ex it wouldn't it wouldn't that's why the regime is not worried about the election it could have made their election in such a way that many more Iranian would have taken part in the election but it simply it simply doesn't want many people to come and take part in the election because it wants a controlled a parliament um during the next four years what what does that mean for its approach to repression there are so many people who have been imprisoned so many people who have been killed after the women's protests um you know does it does it is it strengthened or is it weakened or does it just carry on it it certainly socially and politically it has weakened the Islamic regime but as I said as I said it has made the regime um very much determined um to stand firmly against any opposition what is its approach to Regional Affairs now and how important is that to its continued strength I mean you know is Iran seeing itself now or the the government seeing itself now as more powerful regionally than it's ever been before certainly that is the case that is the case um the Islamic um leaders would tell you that well look uh before it was was the Persian Gulf and the state of hormos that we controlled but now we we control um the Red Sea bble man up and so so you're more powerful than than we were a few years ago what is its approach then to the nuclear program now do you think we're on the verge of them announcing a breakthrough no no the Islamic regime has realized that has discovered that the nuclear issue is a very powerful weapon for bargaining with the West for getting concession from the West right but as we see an American election you know a lot of people are also saying well the one thing the Iranian regime understands is might and strength so if you see an American government that decides to take a much harder line is that something that matters here that will that will change mind many Iranians many Iranians pray that Trump becomes the next US president yes yes yes because they they believe that if Trump comes into Power if if if Trump's in the white house then um we would see more action against the Islamic regime but you don't actually believe that either do you no because because Trump happens to be a businessman so he wouldn't uh he wouldn't jeopardize uh the the economy of of the world he wouldn't enter into into a into real war with Iran so how do you see this regime developing I mean will it just continue is the Islamic Republic secure in the Islamic Republic will continue and and until until there is real opposition organized and real opposition not to overthrow it but to to to forward towards Democratic Values many Iranians simply want to overthrow their Islamic regime but the reality is that we must try to make it more democratic and not simply to go and and overthrow it but it's getting less Democratic in that that because because we simply wanted to overthrow it well Mr zakan thank you very much indeed we must thank you for joining us

Channel: Channel 4 News

Views: 18,001

Keywords: Channel 4 News, Iran, hezbollah, hamas, israel war, israel hamas war, hamas war, october 7, october 7 attack, iran revolution, gaza, israel news, gaza news, palestine, palestinians, iran election, elections, global news, tehran

Id: EsB5YnMgAUA

Length: 11min 23sec (683 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 01 2024